Living in a foreign country is very different to just visiting it on holiday. Nearly everybody experiences “culture shock” when they stay in a country that has different languages, customs and systems from their own. They will experience excitement, frustration[挫折] and fear, but finally get used to that foreign culture. For some people the shock will last for just a few hours, but for others, it will persist[持续] for weeks or months. 
在外国生活与出国度假旅游可不是一回事。在一个语言、习俗和体制都跟自己国家不同的地方生活时，几乎所有人都会经历“文化冲突”。他们会经历兴奋、受挫和恐惧等阶段，但最终都能够适应那里的文化。对一些人来说，文化冲突只会维持几小时，但对其他人来说，它会持续数周或几个月。
I spoke to two international students living in the UK city of Manchester, to see how much they were affected. The first was Tong Li (nickname Lily), a student from Beijing, studying for an MSc[理学硕士（master of science）] in Sustainable[可持续的] Aviation[航空学] at Manchester Metropolitan[大城市] University. The second was Umar Munir from Gilgit, the capital city of the northern region of Pakistan bordering[接壤] both India and China. Umar is working towards an MSc in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development at the same university.
我和在英国曼彻斯特市生活的两位外国留学生进行了交谈，看看他们受到多少影响。第一位是来自北京的学生童莉（昵称莉莉），她在曼彻斯特城市大学攻读可持续航天工业理学硕士。第二位是来自吉尔吉特（巴基斯坦北部、与印度和中国接壤地区的首府）的奥马尔·穆尼尔。奥马尔在同一所大学攻读环境管理及可持续发展方面的理学硕士。
I asked Lily and Umar if they had suffered badly from culture shock when they first arrived. Neither of them had. “Manchester is very diverse[多种多样的]. You can walk for five minutes and meet people from Jamaica, the Middle East, Europe, Turkey, Asia, India, all sorts,” Umar explains. “I particularly like to visit the restaurants in the Curry Mile注1, where you can get every type of Asian food.”
我问莉莉和奥马尔，他们刚刚到达时是否受到文化冲击的严重影响，两人都说影响不大。“曼彻斯特很多元化。在大街上走五分钟，你可以见到来自牙买加、中东、欧洲、土耳其、亚洲、印度等地方的人，” 奥马尔说。“我特别喜欢去‘咖喱哩'一带的餐厅，在那里你可以吃到任何一种亚洲美食。”
When asked what they thought the best and worst things about Manchester were, Lily said, “It's not a big city but it's beautiful and safe. However, you sometimes see rubbish on the street.” Umar liked the countryside around Manchester: “The Peak District is just a ten-minute drive away. I've also visited beaches in North Wales, the Lake District and Blackpool on the coast. They're all close to Manchester. The weather is the worst thing. It's unpredictable[不可预知的] and rains a lot.” Lily found the temperate weather a bit more refreshing:“Although it often rains, the air is clean and fresh. The sky is beautiful and the weather is not too cold or too hot.”
当问到他们觉得曼彻斯特最好和最糟的东西分别是什么时，莉莉说：“它不是一座大城市，但这里美丽又安全，可是有时候你会看到街上有垃圾。”奥马尔喜欢曼彻斯特周围的乡村：“到皮克区只要十分钟车程。我也去过北威尔士的海滩、湖区以及位于海边的布莱克浦镇，它们离曼彻斯特都很近。天气是最糟糕的，变幻莫测，还经常下雨。”莉莉则认为温和的天气更为清爽：“虽然这里经常下雨，但空气很干净清新。天空很漂亮，天气也不会太冷或太热。”
How Is Studying Different in the UK?
在英国学习有何不同？
When I asked Lily what the main differences were in the approaches[方法] to study in China and the UK, she said: “In Manchester Metropolitan University, the class is flexible[灵活的] and usually requires the students' imagination and creativity. Students often do group work and give presentations[陈述] in class. Students depend mostly on self-study outside of class. In my university in China, the usual mode of class is the teacher talking and the students listening. I am comfortable with both of these two learning approaches. The combination of them makes me more capable of adopting[采用] different learning approaches in different environments.” And Umar? He said: “The research in the UK tends to be very up to date and focuses on current policy and thinking. It considers today's issues and possible practical solutions. In Pakistan, I have to address my tutor as ‘Sir' or ‘Ma'am,' where my British tutor told me to call him Paul. He encourages me to discuss things and talk openly so that we both get useful feedback[反馈].”
当我问莉莉在中国学习与在英国学习有什么主要区别时，她说：“在曼彻斯特城市大学，课程安排灵活，而且往往要求学生发挥想象力和创意。学生们经常要进行小组作业以及在课堂上做演示，很大程度上依靠课外自学。而在我读的中国大学，一般的上课模式是老师讲课，学生听讲。这两种学习方式我都很适应。两者的结合让我更加容易在不同的环境中采用不同的学习方法。”奥马尔呢？他说：“英国的研究更加紧贴最新潮流，把重点放在现行政策和思想上；它考虑的是当今问题以及现实可行的解决方法。在巴基斯坦，我要称呼导师为‘先生'或‘女士'，而我的英国导师让我叫他保罗。他鼓励我讨论问题，直抒胸臆，这样大家才能得到有用的反馈。”
Any Problems?
遇到困难了吗？
“I cannot communicate very well with people who speak dialects,” Lily admits. “The Mancunian[曼彻斯特的] accent isn't in the IELTS注2 exam, so I had a slight problem at first,” Umar nods. “Mancunians say [mʊd] instead of [[mæd]], for example.” In addition, the Mancunian dialect also has some unique words and phrases. For example, being “mad for it” is to be full of enthusiasm[狂热]. Also, a “chip barm” is a bread roll with chips as the filling.
“我跟说方言的人比较难沟通，”莉莉承认道。“曼彻斯特口音不在雅思考试范围内，所以我起初遇到一些小麻烦，”奥马尔点头说。“例如，曼彻斯特人不说[mʊd]，他们说[[mæd]]。”另外，曼彻斯特方言还有一些独特的单词和短语。比方说“mad for it”表示充满热情，而“chip barm”则是里面包着薯条的面包卷。
Free Time and Making Friends?
空余时间以及交友情况？
Lily: “The Mancunians are friendly and polite. The English are humorous and gentle. I always go shopping, watch TV and see films in my spare time. The fish and chips are delicious but the desserts are too sweet.”
莉莉：“曼彻斯特人友好而有礼貌。英格兰人都很幽默文雅。空余时间我经常去逛街购物，观看电视和电影。炸鱼薯条很美味，但甜品太甜了。”
Umar: “The people are well-mannered and helpful. If you're lost, they'll always stop and give you directions. I have two or three close English friends, and they're not my classmates! It's easy to make friends because whenever you go for a walk, people will just start chatting to you. Or they'll talk to anyone in the pubs, clubs and sheesha[水烟筒] cafés. People are football crazy here. Everyone supports United or City. I haven't been to the stadium[露天大型运动场], but I watch it on TV. I like to look at the architecture in Manchester, for the famous red bricks everywhere, and the historic buildings standing right next to modern ones everywhere. And there are lots of churches, mosques[清真寺] and temples all next to each other.”
奥马尔：“这里的人彬彬有礼，乐于助人。如果你迷路了，他们经常会停下来给你指路。我有两三位很亲密的英国朋友，他们可不是我的同学哦！交朋友并不难，因为随便出去散散步，人们就会开始跟你聊起来。他们也会跟酒吧、俱乐部或水烟咖啡室里的人聊天。这里的人是疯狂的足球迷，他们不是支持曼联就是支持曼城。我还没去过运动场，但我会在电视上看比赛。我喜欢欣赏曼彻斯特的建筑，看看比比皆是的著名红砖，还有那些随处可见、与现代建筑比邻而居的古老建筑。这里还有很多教堂、清真寺和庙宇，它们全都并排而立。
Any Final Advice?
最后还有什么建议吗？
Lily advises, “Before you arrive, learn more about the culture and history of the UK, and lay a good language foundation for yourself.” Umar points out, “If you're feeling homesick, having food from your own country really helps. So when you choose a UK city in which to study, consider whether there's a community from your own country there. Manchester also has cheaper travel and accommodation[膳宿] than London.”
莉莉建议：“在你到达之前，多了解英国的文化和历史，并为自己打好语言基础。”奥马尔指出：“如果你犯了思乡病，享受一顿来自祖国的美食很有帮助。因此在你选择去英国哪个城市学习的时候，要考虑那里有没有由自己国家的人聚集的社区。另外，曼彻斯特的旅费和住宿费都比伦敦便宜。”
注1：“Curry Mile”是威尔斯洛街（Wilmslow Road）的别称，这里因为有大量南亚、中东餐厅以及外卖而得名。
注2：雅思（International English Language Testing System，简称IELTS）是由英国文化协会、剑桥大学考试委员会和澳大利亚教育国际开发署共同举办的国际英语水平测试。此项考试是为申请赴英语国家留学、移民的非英语国家学生而设，用来评定考生运用英语的能力。